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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Crook

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/5/06

HB 539

SHORT TITLE Long-term Residential Treatment Facility

SB

ANALYST Hoffmann

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$3,600.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates Senate Bill 511.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Public Education Department (PED)

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 539 appropriates $3,600,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Highlands University to fund a collaborative program with the university’s School of

Social Work for a statewide long-term multi-jurisdictional residential treatment facility.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $3,600,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

House Bill 539 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This appropriation was not included in the 2006 Legislative priorities from NMHU to the New

Mexico Higher Education Department. This project was not on the list of NMHED's funding rec-

ommendations, and was therefore not reviewed.

According to the Department of Health, SB 511 does not address population to be served, type of

treatment, capacity needs, workforce issues, or location. Historically, an institution of higher

education does not administer treatment programs.

The Department of Health also states that any proposed treatment facility should result from sys-

tem-wide planning through the Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative, addressing such is-

sues as workforce need, professional competence and assurance of non-duplication of services.

According to the Public Education Department, the 2005 – 2006 special education student data

report for students ages 3 – 21, December 1st annual report showed that:

•

743 students were served in a homebound/short-term hospital program

•

142 were served in juvenile detention/corrections settings

•

263 students were served in residential programs

The PED would need to work with NMHU to determine how students placed in the residential

treatment center will receive educational services. A system for counting school-aged students

placed in the residential treatment center will also need to be established.

DUPLICATION

This is a duplicate of Senate Bill 511.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

How many individuals will this program serve.

Are the services already available from other sources.

CH/yr